So What's Been Happening?

Ok so sorry its been awhile lots has been going on and I have been to lazy to write!

I will try and summarize lets see.....We all went to watch Australia V Kuwait in the Soccer and it sucked ass because we lost. Australia actually played really badly they could of at least tried so we didn't have to face the embarrassment of the Kuwaitis screaming and yelling and throwing full bottles at us. But what can you do just cop it on the chin, well the loss not the bottle!

Laurel an I have been spending a lot of our weekends up at our friends place Wayne and Vicky's because they are cool and have a cool pool . So we have been catching some sun and hanging out and drinking and feeling normal.

Work has been busy as ever because we have had a few dramas. Remember the crazy Bulgarian we had the unfortunate business of living and working with? Well she did a runner!!! One night she was at work and then the next morning she didn't turn up we did some checking up on it and discovered she had left the country. Apparently another company was suing her for shit loads of KD and she of course had nothing so she ran. And left us in a bit of a pickle because although she did nothing she was still an extra pair of eyes in our classes and that kept the parents happy. So we have been working our bums off lately. Thankfully we have a cool chick from Sweden coming to join us in a few weeks and she just sounds great fun so we are looking forward to having her join our team. Life at home of course has been wonderful with out the Mad Dog around so generally we are happy that she left :)

Our good friend Sherry is leaving Kuwait and that means Steve is heading out too. She managed to score a job in Russia which she has been trying to do since I meet her a year ago. Tomorrow the gang is getting together to have a BBQ for her. Sherry and Steve have been a god send to me as through them I have managed to make friends and a life here in Kuwait. They are such generous and wonderful people and I will miss them a lot. But I am happy for them to be getting out of Kuwait!

As it is I have reached my one year mark here in the Middle East. It actually went pretty quickly. So I have a year left on my contract and well who knows what then. My boss is hoping that I will stay on but at this stage I am not to sure. Kerrie is heading home in a few weeks so start a new job in Sydney so I am thinking it will be good to head home in the not to far distant future. Although after a little more traveling :) actually Kerrie will be dropping in to Dubai on the way home so I am going down there next weekend to see her can't wait.

Well is late and I worked a million hours today so I think I might head off to bed. Hope all is well with everyone send me some emails to let me know what's going down :) Miss you all heaps!

x o x Ali

P.S Will have some photos up soon :)

Tom and The Little Jungle

So who is Tom and What is The Little Jungle? Well... Tom is our new friend, yay! It's always exciting when you make new friends in Kuwait because its pretty difficult to do sometimes, since you can't just walk into a bar and say "hey what's up? Shocking weather we are having, can I buy you an ice cold refreshing beer to wash the sand out of your mouth." So instead we must resort to other means.

Laurel actually has been doing a rather bit of networking on the internet lately. I must say she is not doing too badly has got details of a few chicks...oh and she came across Tom as well! Tom's story is that he is an American and freelance journalist and is currently working for the Kuwait times, he was doing a story on sad monkeys or animal cruelty or something like that. So he invited us along to check out the monkeys in a place called The Little Jungle.

I tell you it was pretty exciting not only did we make a new friend but we also had something to do on the weekend! So we picked Tom up and drove around all of Kuwait trying to find this bloody jungle in the desert. You would think something like that would stick out like a sore thumb. But we had extreme difficulty finding the place. I don't know if it was the strange directions we were getting or that we were just distracted by Tom's story of being put in an Iraq prison only to be broken out by a circus...yup true story...but any way we couldn't find the bloody jungle.

2 Hours later we finally came across this little shanty in almost the middle of nowhere. The Little Jungle as it turns out is kind of like a zoo. Don't start thinking its anything like Australia Zoo or the open plains in Dubbo, instead think tiny cages with hot, bothered and not terribly impressed animals. They even had a possum who was lying on the bottom of his cage with what I diagnosed as heat stroke, (you know since I am a vet and all). He was still alive but struggling. Although the animals weren't in the best condition. Tom concluded that they were actually doing ok he had seen sadder monkeys in Egypt so everything was ok. :) any who here are a few pics of our little adventure to The Little Jungle....Thanks Tom for inviting us along :)

Ali, Tom and Laurel outside The Little Jungle

A Baboon trying to nor his way out of his cage, he was not one of the happy monkeys!

Loz is quite upset that this giraffe looks so sad and lonely, Tom is stoked that the giraffe is still alive and has not been turned into lunch at some little Indian restaurant!

Little bo Loz and her goats!

Tom inspecting the goats, loz giggling at the size of a billys balls, tehehehe

I've never had a flatter stomach!!

The Little Jungle is not only a place for captured animals is a theme park of fun fun fun!

A Bull!

We decided to ride the poor little camel that wasn't in real good condition, I have never seen a camel with a muzzle!

The Poor thing didn't even have a name so we called him Bruce!

Heheheheh I am on a camel again!

EMUS, EMUS, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!

How did Emus end up in Kuwait? I don't know and didn't want to ask.

These were the somewhat happy monkeys! They had their own island surrounded by an electric fence...lucky devils!

The famous Ferris Wheel of Kuwait! Tom and Loz risked it, they looked like little hamsters!

This is a stink powered ferris wheel. These two guys spun Tom and Loz around and around and around again!

Apparently the view from the top was amazing!

More Pics From Oz

Looking from Montville, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, out to the coast.

Another view from the top of the Range!

Mum and I ventured up to Montville for Lunch on my second last day left in Oz. This is the restaurant we dined at, which looks out on the views you saw above.

Ahhh the view goes well with white wine and seafood!

Mum and Me!

This is a view of the Glass House mountains, was a bit of a hazy day as they had been back burning the state forest!

More of Glass House! I know looks a bit dry, South east Queensland is in a bit of a drought at the moment but the cows didn't seem to mind they were still eating the brown grass hahaha!

OK this is where it gets a bit silly :) These are some pictures of my Dog Chopper or as we like to call him Chop or Choppy. I think I took more photos of the dog than I did of anything else but how can you not he's so cute. I put them on the blog mainly for my sister to see since she hasn't seen the chopster in a few years. But you can all enjoy them as well hehehehe.

Ali, throw the ball, throw the ball, come on throw the ball!

I threw the ball!

Ok Now pick it up and throw it again.....

What Chop? You want the ball? Well come and get it.....

BOING!

Ahh that's enough you've worn me out now go back to Kuwait so I can be an old retired dog again!

Sand In Every Orifice

Welcome back to Kuwait! I knew I was on my way back to chaos town when I boarded the plane in Dubai. First we were late taking off as we waited for some little Indian dudes, actually they weren't little because one of them sat next to me and I found my self squished up against the window because he took up his seat and then half of mine. Of course these guys don't just board then that's the end of them no that would mean we were going to be going to a sane country. There just has to be some silliness on the flight back to Kuwait. One of these guys decides that he will go a-wondering around the plane before take off so a little Emeriates hostess is chasing after him saying sit down sir sir sir sit down. He is just walking as if he is a dumb mute and can't hear her. She finally gets him to sit but not before to long he is up running around the plane again. It took 2 Female hostesses and one male one to get him to sit. Then the guy next to me kicks his seat back just as we are taking off. I am pretty sure they say keep your seat up right for a reason. Any hoo so once we are air born and cursing along I recline my seat to then find this enormous Indian dude poking my arm going "What, What is this?" I think he was referring to my freckles but I didn't find out because my initial reaction was to say. "Stop it, don't touch me!" He backed off but a few moments later he was undoing my meal tray. "Look stop it, just keep to your side will you." I snapped at him, do these people not understand personal space? I guess not when there are so many of them they don't know the concept of personal bubble! But then to top it off the fat bastard fell asleep before landing and then continued to sleep as everyone was getting off the plane! "Excuse me, wake up, excuse me?" But to no avail he was still pushing out the z's. I didn't want to touch him and I couldn't climb over him because that would of been like trying to climb an elephant. So I waited until someone finally realised I was seriously stuck and finally woke him up. But did he worry that he was holding me up noooo all I get was "shway shway" which basically means slowly slowly wait, But then he tries several times to get up but he can't get out of his chair because his seat belt is still tightened around his huge gut, finally I said you need to undo your seat belt! But he couldn't undo it because it was lost in the folds of fat. Oh man Grrrrrr. Welcome back to Kuwait.

But I did eventually get off the plane and am here now back in the safety of the dusty city. I arrived back to a ridiculously high temperature and a broken air con ahhhh FARK. Then the phone line died and I think while I was away something died in the Kitchen drain! But its cool now I have fixed it all and now whenever I walk into the apartment I feel like I am walking into the fridge! So all is good.

I have a few more pictures of home but I will put them up another day when I am feeling a bit home sick and want to look at something other than sand. Any hoos, thanks to everyone at home for catching up, for the drinks and lunches and dinners. Sorry if I didn't get to say good bye but don't worry I'll be back again before to long!

Home Sweet Home

Do you like the new look of the Rooster site? I thought it was about time I gave it an update. Well I am just about to head back to Kuwait after a months long rest in Australia and to be honest I am not sure why I came home as it is now proving difficult to think of being back in bloody Kuwait. As the saying goes Australia where the bloody hell are you? Kuwait mate stinking sandy smelly Kuwait that's where the bloody hell I am. hehehehe but ya got to do what you got to do.

I guess the hardest thing about going back to the Middle East is that I have to give up all the lovely wine and food I have been consuming since arriving. Although I am now labeling Kuwait as DETOX CAMP to get myself sorted again! Oh but really how good is the wine! Its not home made its real! Real I tell you!

So other than drinking my self silly every night and diminishing mum's wine stock what else have I done since being back down under? Lets see I've done a lot of laying in the sun as the winter sun here in Queensland is still fab its like an Irish Summer :) I have also caught up with lots of friends, done lunch and coffee and dinner with almost everyone. Got stupidly drunk with Tim in a Brisbane pub and found my self doing cartwheels across and dance floor, but that was not the main attraction at the pub Tim's dancing proved to be show stopper! I also went to Melbourne and did some serious shopping with the biggest bargain hunter in the world - Meabh Cullinane! Seriously if there is a $10 skirt out there that girl will find it! Also caught up with the Melbourne family. Um what else did I mention I've been drinking lots of wine? Took Mum to the Ballet in Brissy and we pretended to be ladies for the day. I also spent some time with Sam and Jess (note ages 11 and 14 so only one glass of wine there) Um and that my friends is about it. I have some photos below, but they are mostly for me to remember how beautiful the sunshine coast is whilst I am wipping the sand out of my eyes.

Take care all and till next time.....

Our Lovely apartment building in Kuwait. ha I know it looks kind of quirky but that's the sort of people we are.

The gorgeous Miss Sara and Lang oooo was so good to see you guys miss you heaps already!

Erin in the middle of the 2 Tina's at the Mooloolaba Surf Club!

The girls again!

The Beautiful Mooloolaba Beach looking over to Point Cartwright.

Mooloolaba beach again.....ahhh

Looking the other way to Mount Coolum.

Me being a dick head in Melbourne!

The Roof of Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, what can I say this is the artsy shot!

Meabh and I after way to many Red wines ha nothing has changed girl!

The Old Kookaburra on the clothes line shot.

There's no camels here mate!

Brisbane, also known around the world as Brisvegas for its outstanding nightlife hahaha!

Along the might Brisbane River.

Mum and desert after the ballet, don't worry ones mine hehehe!

To Iraq We Go!

Ok this is how we spend our weekends these days getting trashed on Thursday nights and driving all over the desert on Fridays hahaha! Nah actually had a few social events on the last few weeks the first was a night at Ted's where we played a dice game called Bunko, no not Bonko, Bunko, it did not require removal of any clothes hahaha but was a good night. The photos are further down as well as the ones from a quiz night we went to. We tried our best at the quiz but even better with the beer agian though it was a good night! Now the Photo's just below here are the ones from a trip Sherry, Steve, Loz, Spongebob and I took to the Iraqi border. Yeah we took spongbob along for a ride as well :) yup Kuwait is slowly sending me mad! Any hoos I think most of the photos speak for them selves........

Spotted a black hawk chopper buzzing around in the sky on our way up to Iraq!

This sign says that its ok to heard camels and sheep on the left hand side of the road but not on the right! Very important information I must keep it in mind! Oh and that's Loz and spongebob cooking out in the 49 degree heat!

Two Aussie bums cruising the desert!

Check out the fire behind us, it was a huge blaze coming form one of the oil fields!

The only sign showing the way to Iraq in Kuwait. This is at the border other than that you'd have no idea where you are!

The check point before you enter Iraq

IRAQ! Just there on the other side of the fence, well that's as close as I am going to get for the time being!

An Army Convoy getting ready to go up to Iraq!

The beautiful breath taking landscape of Kuwait ha ha!

This is as far as you can get from Kuwait City in Kuwait ,110ks!!

Yay we got spongebob this far!

We've searched all over this fecking country and I tell you there is no bloody grass!

Sshhhhh, there are camels over there

What Camels?

Ha Camels!

Stevo getting up close and personal with his lady friend

mmmm, is that Old Spice I can smell there?

The Prado, the Girls and Spongebob!

The bridge to nowhere! Actually it goes over to an island but in true Kuwaiti style they are all arguing about it dunno whats to argue about but its closed nonetheless!

It's a big bridge that goes to nowhere!

Of course there's a mosque in the middle of fucking no where!

Driving past the ministry of morals yes there really is one! I am sure it won't be to long before Laurel will be sent there, I won't of course cos I am an angel Hahahaha!

Back in town just on sun set

Ahhh the end of a long day!